Wildlife photography tips

Seeing as there is some exciting news on the horizon regarding me and wildlife photography – I will be sharing it in a few weeks time – I thought I’d put together a little post on some general tips on wildlife photography for those of you who follow me for this specific genre.

Please let me know if you enjoyed this post and I’ll be sure to do more!

1. Get down and dirty

Instead of shooting from a higher level up on the game vehicle try get as low down to the ground as possible. Of course this may not be possible in some instances but try your best. There may be a ditch a little further down the road in order for you to get to that eye level. Look around you and use what you can to get that position.

2. Use your light

This one is one I’m sure you are all aware of – shoot in the golden hours. Early morning and late afternoon can give you some great opportunities to photograph animals basked in the glorious golden sunshine. Also take notice of where the light is coming from – you can also use it to back-light an animal like this one below.

3. Black and white

Know when to convert an image to black and white. If you are going after golden light or want to show off the animal’s patterns or colours the photo may look better in colour. I find that texture as well as soft lighting (cloudy days) can give off awesome black and white photographs.

4. It’s not all about the big 5

I get huge satisfaction from photographing animals that you don’t see plastered on every social media site. Of course I love those animals too but for me it’s not all about getting that leopard shot. There is beauty in the animals that you see all the time too. This can also get your creative juices flowing in a way to photograph them differently.

5. Aperture

Using aperture to create a creative photograph is one tip that I always love and use. This Yellow-bellied sand snake was my subject for over an hour around a lodge I was at. I photographed him many different ways and found because the background was a dark corner I had to create some interest by using a low f-stop and adding greater depth of field.

6. Stay with your subject

By staying with your subject and watching his/her behaviour you are more likely to get a great photograph. If he was sleeping the whole day it is likely that he will get up soon to move through the night. Think about the time of day and what that animal does then.